#twd zeke

[lab-gr0wn-lambs]

How did these Loony Tune people get in my zombie show

(I'll probably color this later)

[josephslittledeputy]

Celeste & Lucian during Cel's baby vamp era || Celeste & Wes sometime during the late '70s/early '80s || Sparrow & Endymion (She's not wearing her eyepatch that seals him in so he's tormenting her <333 He's actually quite fond of her ok) Lacy & her beloved husband, Owen, years ago || Lacy & her guard dog Zeke in the present (Preventing him from tearing someone up bc they looked at her wrong) || My beloved worst couple Sid & Sel <333

Kira Gallagher (TWD verses) Top Left: Teenage era, being a hellion || Top Right: Pre Zombie Apocalypse Bottom Left: Early Apocalypse, safe in shelter || Bottom Right: Present, post doing something that's necessary in the new world

Tagged by the lovely @carlosoliveiraa to do these cute picrews! 1 & 2

Tagging @socially-awkward-skeleton @direwombat @marivenah @alexxmason @henbased @simplegenius042 @inafieldofdaisies @skoll-sun-eater @cassietrn @clicheantagonist and anyone else who wants to participate! Sorry if you already have and I haven't seen it yet! It's been a while since I've been on here

[perryabbott]

I think you’re going soft.

[lola-andheruniverse]

I really love those blink-and-you-miss-it scenes that tell us what a character is thinking about.

TWD Season 9 Episode 4 'The Obliged' has a Carol/Caryl scene like that, starting around 8:40 until almost 12:00.

Rick and Eugene are talking about how they'll have to stop working on the bridge. They come to a stop in front of Rick's tent. Eugene is very upset that he doesn't know how to solve the problem and Rick consoles him, reassuring his value and how important he was to end the Saviors war.

While they talk, Daryl's framed on the background, eating an apple, observing them. He's clearly placed so we, the audience, can see him there. If you saw the episode, you know Daryl's there to watch Rick and prevent him to go to ASZ when he gets the word Maggie's on her way to kill Negan.

Ok, Rick says goodbye to Eugene and go into the tent where Carol is waiting for him. She's sitting at the table, looking out the window, lost in her thoughts, twisting the engagement ring Ezekiel gave her. Daryl's outside, sitting right in her line of sight...

Yep, if you blink, you will miss that CAROL'S LOOKING AT DARYL!

We know she told Daryl that Zeke proposed on S9E1, and she was reticent to accept it for """"unknown reasons""""". We know that, when she finally said yes on S9E3, it was to the Zeke + Henry package, that she already loved like a son. And we saw all happening from Rick's POV too, he witnessed their quite exchange, he knows that Carol's going to marry/is now married to Ezekiel. But saying yes doesn't mean Carol is 100% free of doubts or that """misterious""" feeling that gave her pause when Zeke first asked her to marry him.

Twisting the ring while looking to Daryl is our visual cue to her conflicting thoughts and feelings, but at the end of the scene, Rick tells her:

- I don't know if we're doing the right thing here. Really don't. But if anyone gives me hope on how things can turn out, it's you. You know that, right?

And Carol replies:

- I'm still trying to figure things out. Just like everybody else.

And we all know how S9 develops until Carol decides she doesn't want that ring anymore 🤷🏿‍♀️

I really love this tiny, tiny scene. Chef kiss storytelling!

[that-left-turn]

You’re spewing nonsense like that other account, there’s no proof that Zabel just watched the last few minutes of the the main show, and Norman is EP too, if he wasn’t happy with Ezekiel being mentioned he would’ve said.

Mel and Norm are EP’s, everything you don’t like this season remember they approved it, that includes the “nunbaiting”

That's not how a TV production works, though. Melissa and Norman are EPs, yes, but they don't have veto rights. The only instance that does is the studio. There seems to be a widespread misconception in the fandom about the power an executive producer has.

It's circumstantial evidence, I agree with that, but all signs point to that Zabel's only watched the last few minutes of the show, if at all. If he's seen all of TWD, he’s not a competent showrunner as he disregards canon backstories as he sees fit. Do enough of that and the audience loses faith, which will lead to the boss being very unhappy at the decline in ratings.

I doubt Norman cared one way or the other if Ezekiel was mentioned. Actor EPs worry about their own character’s arc, not the big picture or the minutiae of ensuring continuity—that's part of the script supervisor's and showrunner's duties. Norman could've mentioned that Zeke and Daryl aren't best friends in his notes, but it was ignored because it's a tiny detail. Or he didn't, because you pick your battles and that's not a hill any actor will die on. Like you said, there's no proof of what he said, thought or did. I don't claim to know what goes on in Norman's head.

What I do know is how far an executive producer's area of influence extends. The EPs of a show don't all have to approve of something for it to make its way onscreen. I'm not snatching this out of thin air, but I also won't insist that anyone believe me. Watch the show and see if you like it. If you do, none of the above matters because you got your enjoyment out of it.

[bookqueenrules]

I go back and forth on Beth being alive and TPTB just being shitty writers who needed a shock value death. The back half of season 5 was so hard to get through cause I just wanted answers. Then sometimes I think 5x08 was just a shitty last minute rewrite because we know so much else was filmed and there was a shit ton of symbolism throughout the first half that meant her living. I still can’t get over the car scene in 5x10 or the coda after she gets shot. That’s the worst part is not having answers. But you’re 100% right. If they want viewers back then they NEED to shake it up. Stop writing in circles.

Hi,

I think the truth is that we can't be 100% sure of anything. I would refer you to the AMAZING twdmusicboxmystery and her fellow theorist for all of the symbolism and weirdness pointing to Beth's return. I love analyzing the symbols too, but I also look at the practical.

So, the whole purpose of this spin-off is Daryl's happy ending, right? Judith says this to him as he is LEAVING Carol and Jude. So, how could just making it back home to them be his happy ending? It can't. Sorry to Carly fans, but they ended the flagship with Carol/Zeke rebuilding their relationship and yet another BEST FRIEND declaration from both Daryl and Carol. It won't be adding a romance with Carol as his happy ending. He could have had that any time in the last few seasons.

Will it be Isabelle? A French nun? How is that going to work in the TWD universe? Daryl WILL, at some point, have to go home. I have more thoughts on why it won't be Isabelle in the previous ask.

Connie? That has been firmly cemented as a friend only relationship. Daryl and Connie had a couple of years to pursue something and never did.

A new character? Not likely. The fans wouldn't accept it, and, practically speaking, the first two seasons of DD are filming in France, so the character would have some of the same issues as Isabelle does as Daryl's happy ending.

Beth was taken away from Daryl before their relationship could develop further, but even though we don't "see" it go full romance, Daryl is devastated and inconsolable for quite some time at her loss. He doesn't react the same to loosing anyone else. Did he burn himself over Merle or Rick? No. That should speak volumes to the audience. She has tons of ties to the remaining TWD characters. Practically, it is hard to make a case for it being anyone BUT Beth.

But, she's dead, right? On FTWD the have brought back not one but TWO core characters the audience thought were dead for MANY years this season. The original working title of the DD spin-off was Raise the Dead! The whole TWDU is about raising the dead!

Fun Fact: According to the University of Google, a person has 42% of surviving a gunshot wound to the head if they receive medical treatment. The last time we saw Beth she was at Grady. We didn't see her buried or what happened to her body. This is EASY writing to bring her back.

Here is something interesting Angela Kang, who is a TWD showrunner and an executive producer of DD, said about Leah. When questioned she said they had NEVER planned to show Leah/Daryl kissing, COVID or not, because they knew where the story was going. She said they wanted to save Daryl's first on screen kiss for something monumental. When he really kisses someone, a romantic lip to lip, we will know that's it.

So, the writers have been holding out not having, IMO, their sexiest male lead even KISS anyone for 12 years! Why? The only sane answer is that had a plan all along. The plan may have been delayed or altered slightly, but Beth has always been the plan. They have stuck to that. I believe she will show up, but I am concerned that their continuing to delay bringing her back and restarting her story will negatively impact the spin-off, and the story they end up telling.

I know that was a LONG answer but thank you for the ask!

[my-mt-heart]

I think I mentioned before that the love triangle is my least favorite trope. It just feels very YA to me, less mature, which definitely doesn’t fit a relationship like Daryl’s and Carol’s, nor their individual characters who are so careful with their hearts. Creating foils for them on the other hand has been very illuminating in some instances. 

Even though I don’t like Carol and Ezekiel together at all, I do like seeing Daryl’s jealous side. It’s not a typical jealousy because nothing about Daryl’s character is typical, but it causes him to turn inward and weigh his worth against Ezekiel’s. He knows he’s no king, he isn’t charming, he isn’t a leader, so in his mind, he can’t possibly be good enough for Carol. 

But we as an audience learn through the different interactions between all three characters that he could not be more wrong. Daryl understands Carol in ways Ezekiel never could, always putting her needs before his own, respecting her boundaries and her independence. He’s the one who has Carol’s heart, the one who immediately makes her smile when he gives her a gift, the one she’ll say “I love you” to. 

The “triangle” if you can really call it that, only takes a wrong turn for me in S11. Carol and Ezekiel do not need to get closure from each other ten times over. They don’t need a long shared arc with far more screentime than the relationship we’re actually invested in, and we don’t need the question of will they/won’t they [get back together] hanging over our heads so close to wrapping the series. Knowing how to use foils also means knowing when they’ve stopped being useful all together. 

The same can be said about Carol’s foils. On one hand, Daryl’s and Connie’s dynamic shows us how much Carol is struggling to love herself for who she is. She thinks she’s a bad person, unworthy of Daryl’s love, despite loving him so much she’s ready to sacrifice her own chance of happiness so he can be happy with someone she perceives as “good.” 

The romance she keeps pushing for never actually happens though, which in itself reminds us Daryl isn’t an alpha male. He can’t pursue every woman who happens to interact with him. He can’t test the waters with someone he likes or respects. He needs to fall in love first, he needs time, he needs depth, he needs Carol. And that’s all really sweet, but the longer the “Connie” arc drags out, the more superficial it becomes, accomplishing nothing for any of the characters and leaving every viewer unhappy. 

Speaking of which, adding Leah to that mix is probably one of TWD’s most controversial writing decisions that everyone (rightfully) resents. It didn’t have to end on such a bitter note though. Unlike killing off Glenn and Carl, which there is absolutely no walking back from, risking Daryl’s character integrity for a random relationship could have at least been the catalyst for Daryl and Carol to finally go canon. The set up is there. We get the parallels between Carol and Leah to tell us who Daryl really chooses and why, but it ultimately goes nowhere. Carol and Leah don’t even get to interact. [Insert long, angry rant about that here]. 

I’m not looking for a do-over on any of these arcs or for any new ship to take their place (for the love of god, stop with the ship baiting). The more love interests Daryl and Carol garner, the less they feel like themselves and we’re already teetering on the brink of unrecognizable with this ridiculous France premise. But, if there’s more to come for Caryl, some acknowledgement would be good. It only takes a few lines of dialogue to explain to the characters and to the audience why Carol didn’t return Zeke’s feelings, why it wasn’t like that with Connie, why Daryl really got together with Leah. And if handled with care, it could be very impactful 

[dixonlvr-online]

Friendly faces, unfamiliar spaces

Pairings: Carol Peletier x Reader (platonic), King Ezekiel x Reader (platonic), Princess x Reader (platonic)

Warnings: No Daryl in this one, sorry

Genre: Fun times with friends

A/N: Not a Daryl story though the reader is in a relationship with him. Really wanted to write about friendship moments because all the TWD friendships mean so much to me. Hope you like it too.

“Y/N!”

You turned at the sound of your name. The Commonwealth was a big place, and to you, every corner looked the same. You’d been wandering around, trying to get your bearings, when you were pulled out of your thoughts.

You placed the voice as soon as you saw him. King Ezekiel, or just Ezekiel now, standing outside the flower shop with an unfamiliar woman. You smiled wide, striding over to him.

“Zeke! How are you?” you exclaimed, arms out for a hug. He smiled and hugged you, laughing as you squeezed him harder. You pulled apart, grinning. “It’s been so long. How’s everything for you?” you asked.

“I am wonderful, Y/N, truly,” he beamed. “I’d like you to meet my new companion, Princess,” Ezekiel said, gesturing to the woman next to him. You smiled politely at her and held out a hand.

“Princess, huh? You know he used to be King Ezekiel,” you remarked. Princess laughed loudly, shaking your hand with gusto. You couldn’t help but be drawn to her energy right away.

“Seriously? You never told me that!” she exclaimed, turning to Ezekiel. He scratched a hand on the back of his neck, sheepishly smiling.

“It’s not important. Y/N just likes to tease,” he said, shooting you a mock glare. You laughed at his reaction.

“Sorry, Zeke, but you’ll always be a king in here,” you teased, placing a hand over your heart. Ezekiel playfully rolled his eyes while Princess laughed louder. You joined in, soaking in this moment of simple joy in the presence of your friend. You were warming to the Commonwealth a little more now.

You saw the expression on Ezekiel’s face suddenly drop to one of neutrality. You looked over your shoulder to see his view, when you caught sight of Carol, heading your way. You waved a hand in greeting as she approached.

“Hey, Carol! How’s it going?” you greeted, leaning in for a quick hug. She smiled at you, then at Princess, then hesitantly at Ezekiel. Things were still weird between them, you surmised, despite Daryl’s protests that everything was fine. Men, you thought, are clueless about this kind of thing. Therefore, you didn’t trust a word Daryl said on the matter.

“I’m good,” she replied, “just on my way to the bakery. How are you all this morning?” Princess recounted for her the morning inventory she’d counted in response. You watched Carol nod politely as she listened, but noticed the way her eyes flickered to Ezekiel every few seconds. He shuffled from foot to foot the whole conversation, hands fidgeting at his sides. You took the opportunity to jump in.

“Actually, Carol, I needed to talk to you about something. Can we walk and talk?” you said, causing Carol to turn to you, puzzled. 

“Sure, sounds good to me,” she said. You turned one last time to Ezekiel and Princess.

“Nice to see you, Ezekiel. And nice to meet you, Princess. I’ll hopefully see you again soon,” you said in parting. They smiled back and said goodbye, and then you were off with Carol.

“So, what was it you wanted to talk about?” Carol asked once you were a few feet away. You grinned mischievously at her.

“Oh, nothing, really. Just needed an excuse to get you away,” you revealed. Carol shook her head.

“What are you up to?” she questioned, turning to see your reaction. You continued to smile back at her.

“I’m not doing anything!” you exclaimed, raising your eyebrows at the woman. She narrowed her eyes, not believing you after so many years of knowing you and your antics. You bit your lip to suppress a smile.

“So…what’s up with you and Ezekiel?” you asked, trying to keep your voice as cool and casual as possible. Carol scoffed, catching on instantly.

“We’re fine. We’re friendly. Why are you asking?” she replied, attempting to brush you off. You wouldn’t let her get away that easily.

“Okay, that back there was not ‘fine and friendly.’ You were both so weird! Do you think you’ll ever get back together? Or at least be friends again?” you pressed, watching her pull her lip between her teeth as you spoke.

“Ezekiel and I…” she began, before shaking her head. “No, I don’t think we’re getting back together. I don’t want to. It wasn’t the right match,” she said. You kept quiet, waiting for her to continue.

“As for friendship, we’re friendly now. We still care about each other. I care about him, at least. That’s good enough for now,” she said. You nodded in understanding. You could tell this had been weighing on her for some time. With Henry’s death, the loss of the Kingdom, and the war with Alpha recently behind her, it was no surprise their relationship had fallen through the cracks. You rested a hand on her arm, drawing her attention. 

“You know you’re welcome to come by and eat dinner with us any time. Or just hang out. Daryl and the kids love having you there. And we need something fun to brighten up that horrible apartment,” you said, watching a smile cross her face at your last comment.

“Yes, I’d like that too,” she replied, placing her hand over yours. The two of you continued to chat until you reached the bakery, where she had to get ready for work. You parted with a hug and started to walk back to your apartment.

You knew things were weird now, but when had things not been weird in the last 12 years? Every new place had needed an adjustment period, and you were grateful now that you were surrounded by people you cared about, and who cared about you.

Yeah, the Commonwealth really was starting to feel like home.

[freefromthecocoon]

1120 Spoilers

I have put together a few thoughts about this amazing episode! 

Does anyone else find it hilarious that Zeke was quickly yeeted out the bakery with no noise or commotion and then Carol used baking implements to thwart her would be kidnappers? Just me...okay.

Carol saved Daryl and Daryl saved her back. A metaphor for their whole relationship. 

I sensed a couple of parallels: one was Lance being observant that Daryl is Carol’s person.  Negan observed this as well in season 10 when he called Carol, Daryl’s Girlfriend!   The other parallel is that Daryl and Carol both pulled guns on the people who mentioned the other’s name. Daryl did this with Richard and Carol did this with Lance. 

The fact that Caryl’s bond is plain as day to any one with a mild sense of observational skills always makes me smile. Norman and Melissa have such a great chemistry onscreen that they do not need words to convey that bond. (But trust me, I really feel like we will get those words before the end of these episodes). 

Carol being the one to end Lance was poetic. I loved the fact that Daryl and Carol meandered back to the jeep and of course Carol is the one to drive. 

Also, loved Yumiko’s arc in this episode and that scene with Connie and Yumiko was just a chef’s kiss. The intensity of them being hidden and the ASL absolutely conveyed all the emotion they were portraying.  Yumiko ultimately making the right decision about her path forward was just a great piece of acting by Eleanora. 

Aisha Tyler knocked this out of the park and she is a TWD fan from the beginning and she has directed in a good chunk of TWDU. Her knowledge of the characters and their histories translates well to screen. 

[twdmusicboxmystery]

I think the CRM story and arc is very huge and bigger than we’d think. I think we’ll probably only get to explore the deeper lore of it in small parts through Rick, and we’d get the good and exciting parts through Beth. What do you think? It’d only make sense if it was through Beth. We first see Grady through her which they’re connected to CRM stuff without shoving it to our faces so it’s very likely got herself involved with them. We first get to see some of their backstory from TWD but it doesn’t feel complete or enough if that’s the right word. Beth’s probably been with them the longest of the entire cast but who knows? What do you think?

Yeah, for sure. I think it will be both. You're totally right that because of Grady, she's going to be a big part of the CRM arc. Maybe the biggest part. But I think it also depends on how we're defining that, and we don't even know how to do so yet, lol.

What I mean is, maybe we'll see the most nuanced, inner parts of the CRM through her. But the CRM war I still think will be headed up by Rick, with all our favorite characters--Daryl, Michonne, Zeke and Carol, etc--as his under generals, and maybe Beth a spy on the inside. Something like that.

But I agree that it's much bigger than most of the fandom realizes. I mean, they've literally been foreshadowing it since the pilot episode of the flagship series when Rick saw the helicopter flying around Atlanta. How can it NOT be epic, you know.

I also want to remind you of something a lot of people have probably forgotten about. Mostly because I haven't talked about it in so long. In S7, when Aaron and Rick found the houseboat. That whole sequence was teaming with Beth symbolism, and was clearly a foreshadow of something.

Aaron, at one point, falls out of the boat, and Rick loses track of him. He starts yelling Aaron's name, and is clearly worried that Aaron might have just died. But Aaron pops up in another part of the lake, far removed from where Rick was searching. By the time Rick gets to the boat, Aaron is already there. They sort of meet there, but if I remember correctly, Aaron gets there first.

Are we seeing the parallels yet? Aaron represents Beth's "death" and disappearance. She wasn't anywhere near the place they were searching for her back in S5. But when Rick gets to the CRM, she's already there, and they'll meet there again.

Now, I have no idea if, when we see Beth, she and Rick will be in communication or know about one another yet. Maybe yes, maybe no. But I don't think it matters. The foreshadowing wasn't meant to be super detailed. The point is, houseboat = CRM. Rick lost Beth along the way and assumed she died, but they're going to end up in the same place, and away from TF for a while.

In short, totally agree with your analysis, Nonny! Xoxo! 💌❣️

[lab-gr0wn-lambs]

Not to keep going on about them but I am convinced the only reason Carol and Daryl didn't end up together is because of the ageism/misogyny shit-sandwich. Everybody be so for real right now, if their story played out the exact same way except Carol was 27 and didn't have grey hair? Sloppy makeout by season 4. Instead we got everybody interpreting her sex jokes and pet-names as ''motherly'' somehow. Male characters can date women 20 years younger than them, but if she's 3 years older she might as well be his momma

[thewalkingdeadband]

CARYL'S LAST EPISODE... (It IS going to be long, beware...) please note that these are only my opinion and the things i felt while watching

----------------

I dont know where to start... i posponed in order to try to gather my thoughts but its hard..

Im not okay. Im not fine. I keep thinking about what we were supposed to have. Them riding off together. Now imagine the same ending scene for them, saying both goodbye to the kids and Ezekiel, with the same beautiful music in the background....

We probably wouldn't have had an I love you then, nor a kiss i believe, but we would've had them leaving together and riding off to their spin off. Which was the plan. Which was the fucking plan. The fucking endgame plan. With or without canon. This is all i could think while watching the scene and hearing the music behind.

I was so caught up in the episode earlier with Rosita and everything happening that it almost took me the time jump to remember that it was the last twd ep ever and that they were going their separate ways at the end, within the next 20 mns or so. Thats when it hit me. Again.

So they were together the whole way this episode, taking care both of Judith, Carol taking care of Daryl, both respectfully giving Magna/Connie/Yumiko/Kelly some space to say goodbye and mourn Luke while trying to save Jude. And while watching over her, they gave each other at some point a beautiful longing look .

She helped him giving his blood, she teared up with relief when Little ass kicker woke up, her hands in her hair.

I loved all that.

Then: bam, action, back to the rest of the episode, fastforward to the end with them locking Pamela up and giving her the same kind of speech Richonne gave when they locked up Negan in the s8 finale. Please. And let's not even go back to Family 11.23, where they ran with Judith in Daryl's arms and Carol clearing the way, just as Richonne with Carl in s6.... Please, again.

But back to Rest in Peace:

Time jump: we have Connie running towards Daryl and my heart shattered a little, thinking "oh no its like Zeke in 9x01, they made them canon post time jump". But no, so huuuuuge relief, cause im not gonna lie and pretend: she did look like a girlfriend running towards her boyfriend in this scene, and that was totally done on purpose i believe. That said, we knew he was leaving and as far as we knew not with Connie so it didnt make sense for me to actually worry i guess ?

And then we see Carol. Short haired. Which i liked. Because if having long hair meant feeling safe enough coz Ed couldnt grab them anymore so no need to cut them short, having short hair again meant, in my opinion: now i feel safe regardless of my haircut, no one's gonna hurt me, Ed is long dead, i can feel safe and relaxed with long OR short hair.

And then we have the goodbye....

I wish you were coming with me. I was torn between screaming "dont we all" and "no shit sherlock".

This is going to be good for you, for me.

Yes. You heard that. To be separated. Good.for.them. Why? How? When? The hell does it mean? I had time to think abt it, and i dont like what i came up with:

"i love u too much and it scares me? We're too fusional? We hurt each other too much lately?? You re better off without me because im not good for u anyway? And to be alone - without u- for a while will allow me some time to heal ?"

After he says goodbye to the kids and zeke, Judith goes, hey, daryl, u deserve happiness too and yes, she seems to look behind, towards Carol but no, im not going to make conclusions out of it even if i love the idea, especially considering what Norman said to Vanity fair abt this line ("if there is any line from the finale that carries over to the spin off , it's that one"). That doesnt look good but i also know not to make a big deal out of what actors say - good or bad, honestly - and at this point i dont wanna care for now, we'll see.

Here's the link for this interview:

Then ... I LOVE YOU

SO... unfortunately, it was said in the same episode than Rosita/Eugene's i love you, and than Magna's " I love you" and "we love you so much" to Luke. So yeah, anyone can see it as platonic if they want to, and put Caryl in the same box as Rosita/Eugene and Luke/his group. It was done on purpose to me.. a la "see? This is the last episode, so this is the episode of the i love yous and do what u want with it"

BUT... the way he said it sounded romantic as hell to me (same as the look he gave her when he answered "yeah..." to her "its a beautiful day to head out"...).

This is her answer/response that bothered me. He said it as a sort of relief for me, like "i finaaaally let it out of my chest", and "i fucking mean it" but she brushed it off, a la "yeah sure pookie dont make fun of me" and to be honest i was almost expecting her to have a "staaaaap" Daryl call back (rofl/tears/idontevenknowanymore). Then she kind of realised he was serious and answered a bit shyly/awkardly i love u too. I was like oh come on!!!! Does she STILL think she's not good enough for his love??

To me he looked disappointed for a nanosecond, and then "oh well", touches her face, they hug, smile, look sad, and off we go. (Yes, maybe it was more Melissa/Norman than Caryl at this point, i dont know).

And then he looks like he wants to say something to her again, and i want to believe it was something like either "u sure u dont want to come ? Please come? " And/ or "i actually love you, you know ? " but eh...

At the end of the day, of course i loved the I love you. For freak's sake, he didnt say it to anyone else in this show, and it is a big deal coming from him, and he said it first. He could have just said: im gonna miss u so much. No, his last words to her were i love you. His last words ever in the main show were to Carol and it was I love you. Of course i screamed with joy regardless of everything.

Ok, to end this dead ass long post, two more things:

Considering everything, im glad Carol's with the kids. Since i like Carick, it gives me hope that maybe, maybe, he could reunite with his kids and Carol (with Rick being forever grateful to her once more), with Daryl - and Michonne of course - being obviously right beside him... since a Rickyl reunion is more than sure at this point, which would lead to a - one can hope- Caryl reunion too...

Also i like the idea of Judith taking care of Carol like Daryl asked. After everything, this is a nice concept. She needs to be taken care of, for once. And if its by the kids, nice touch, since she's taken care of them so much. Plus Carol and Judith being close is all i ever hoped for.

On a lighter note - and please note that it was only a joke to cheer me up, and that i LOVE Ezekiel :

Not my bf saying while watching the caryl goodbye: "look at Zeke being "lets get the fuck out of here kids im not watching this emotional goodbye" while still staying not too far behind to make sure Daryl's actually leaving"

It made me laugh trough my tears, but in all seriousness, Zeke gave them space and i loved him for that, also his hug with Daryl was heartfelt and touching. I want him to find happiness and really move on.

NB: i had a thousand more things to say, but its already way too long...

NB bis: i wish they had brought up the cherokee rose. They were in a beautiful place where there were probably a lot of flowers, he could have taken one and put it in her hair to cheer her up since she was crying and sad. Well, cherokee roses may not be easy to find i dont know... but you know, anything that makes a nice call back to that. Or the acorns. Or the bracelet. Make one last cute joke abt that. For example.

Oh, and have u seen how Maggie asked to see and talk to them both about exploring the world? Since Carol says u want to talk etc. I bet this scene wasnt changed and was in the original way to send caryl into their spin off...

[twd-obsessed-bitch]

TWD spoilers below

Ezekiel pushing some rabbits and walking a goat is so cute

Oh no Zeke is staying there goes my ship

I adore Ezekiel and that all he wants to do is help people

Oop some family political squabbles

Sebastian is so grumpy all the time like bro get good

ULTRASOUND?

Oh it's Annie, I thought it was somebody else lmao

I love Annie

Negans gonna be such a good dad I just know it

Daryl and his knives AND HIS VEST YAY

DIXON'S BACK

I already made a post about this but I love that RJ is reading a comic that is both a nod to Carl and Steven yeun

WHERE IS JUDITH

[haruhey]

chronological thoughts of 11x20

i left my laptop charger at home (i’m at my dorm rn) so i’m not in a good mood so let’s hope twd helps 🤩

i heard carol’s in this episode so i’m so ready rn

- LANCE 🫶

- EUGENEEE 🫶🫶🫶

- OMG CAROL AND DARYL SLAYYYYYYY

- CARYL SLAYYYYYYYY

- SEASON 7 REUNION THIS IS SICK

- opening carol scene 🫶

- oh shit oh no zeke

- ?:!-?1?-?

- A CAROL SLAY PERIODDDDD

- CAROL MAIN CHARACTER CAROL MAIN CHARACTER CAROL MAIN CHARACTER THIS IS WHAT DHE DESERVED 💕💝💝💕❣️💕💕💝❣️💕❣️❣️❣️💕💕��

- omg daryl getting murked thats on period

- OMG HE WALKERED

- WHY DIDNT HE JUST PULL OUT THE KNIFE AND STAB AGAIN???

- OH MY GOD THE DREAM TEAM 🫶

- omg is it only them two left?

- THIS IS WHAT WE COULD HAVE HAD IN THE CARYL SPINOFF 😭😭😭

- ok but consider sebastian sucked major ass 🙄

- yumiko slay

- THEY KILLED THEM?/!-?/??2?/ HELLOOOOOOO???

- why do i kinda love the commonwealth arc

- its like all these big bads are just really selfish bitches in suits who needed to be bullied as a kid like just punch them fr and they’d crumble and i think thats so funny

- NOOO THEY TOOK DOG???

- “it isnt gonna be easy” “when was it ever?” ♥️

- why dont u just agree to do it and then convince pamela to let ur friends go and then at night kill pamela and then the next day dont show up in court

- CONNIEEEEEEEEEE I LOVE HER I LOVE HER SO MUCHHHHHH

- ?? if these bitches hurt kelly i’m gonna piss on their pillows

- omg connie is so slay

- nooo yumiko having to deal with the fact she’s not gonna know whats gonna happen to her friends for a while 💔

- YES CAROL AND DARYL ON A MISSIONNNNN

- then they’re gonna start k i s s i n g i just know it

- jesus christ i love their teamwork❣️

- um hey what the fuck

- daryl is giving very much judgemental current boyfriend looking at ur ex

- lance looks like he likes being choked a lil too much

- omg they really are zooming

- caryl prison break ♥️

- LONGING STARE??? WITH EMOTIONAL MUSIC??? BYE

- this episode is the best fr

- lmaooooo sebastian

- YOU WERE RIGHT TO LEAVE HIM BEHIND??? HE WAS SLOWING YOU DOWN??? HORNSBY STOP

- omg carol is not like the other girlies

- yes she is so slay❣️ lance hornsby rights 🫶

- why does he always look shocked scared and terrified

- nooooo bbys dont worry carol’s on it u know how she is she is going to slay!!!

- NOOOOOOO EUGENE 😭😭😭

- MY RAT MAN PLEASE I LOVE HIM 😭

- just kill her guys

- this is not the end!! period!!!

- josh mcdermitt actually pops tf off as eugene he’s so good

- lance and carol on a lil insanity date 🫶

- ummmm so lance had a crush on pamela??? and is he saying that carol has a crush on daryl???

- “which, i admit, was… mishandled” guys i literally love hornsby

- “more importantly, there’s something i wanted to ask you” hornsby wants to make out w her so hard

- WHY TF IS THIS SHOW SO DARK

- no fucking way are there whisperers down here

- omg is he gonna die

- OH MY GOD THERE ARE SO MANY

- HES GONNA LET HER DIE??

- HIS FACE CAME OFF oh my god thats disgusting

- oh god oh no they got caught 😭😭

- OMG DARYL TO THE RESCUEEEE

- literally fuck off pamela this isnt for your people we all know that

- OMG YUMIKO SLAY

- ik if i was yumiko my pettyass would be making a show of the fact i was reading a script 😭😭

- “its uh, a great, uh, pleasure to uh, hold on let me-“

- booo this speech sucks get a new writer pamela!!!

- OMG SHES MAKING SURE THE COMMONWEALTH KNOWS WHO HE IS IN CASE PAMELA GETS “RID” OF HIM AND TO LET HIM KNOW HOW SHE REALLY FEELS IF THEY KILL HER THATS SO SLAY YUMIKO

- YUMIKO IS SO SLAYYYYYYYYYYY I LOVE HER I LOVE STRONG WOMEN ON TELEVISION I LOVE STRONG ASIAN WOMEN WITH UNAPOLOGETICALLY ASIAN NAMES I LOVE HER I LOVE HERR

- not lance pleading his case to daryl and carol as he’s covered in blood 😭😭

- “ik you heard me” “yeah, only because you wouldn’t shut up” CAROL YOURE SO LEGENDARY I LOVE HERRRRR

- carol and daryl are so tired of him pls 😭

- do u think carol and daryl like chat over tea and talk abt what they’re gonna do to hornsby or do u think carol and daryl just think the same and had the same idea without talking to each other

- “i’ve made mistakes” BRO??? WHO EVEN ARE YOU 😭😭

- SLAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY CAROL KILLED LANCE SLAYYYYYYYYYY SHES SO COOL SLAYYYYYYYY

- daryl didnt even move a finger he knew she got it

- damn rip to a real one u were so fun

- daryl dixon passenger princess❣️

- THEY TOOK DARYL’S KIDS FROM HIM DARYL YOURE SO AWESOME

- HERSHEL?? LEAVE HERSHEL ALONE LEAVE HIM ALONE GET BACK 🤺 BACK I SAY 🤺

- aisha tyler my girlie 💕

- carol daryl divide and conquer iktr iktr!!

- “i really think he believes what hes saying” girl you wrote him 😭😭 wdym “i really think” 😭😭

- this episode was so fucking good omg

[gunmetal-ring]

Reading rhese reviews that came out and jfc there are WAY too many characters in this show oh my god

Gabe should have been tortured to death by pope, fake stephanie was the stupidest way to show eugene that CW/lance was untrustworthy and never should have existed, elijah and yumiko and magna and tomi and max can just fade into the background bc they have all served their purpose, if luke or jule or virgil come back out of the woodwork im gonna lose my mind, and if ANYONE from oceanside or alexandria or hilltop or stormtroopers or negans group or anyone who hasnt already had an actual speaking role gets ANY screentime im gonna mcfreakin lose it like ENOUGH! this is the final season give us the OGs and the stars of the last few seasons! Also tbh maggie and negan need to wrap up their arc in half an episode or less and fuck right off to manhattan bc im sick of them hogging the screen w their boring repetitive dynamic cya l8r bye

And tbh sorry to say it but so can princess and connie and kelly and eugene and zeke and jerry bc as much as i like them they again have served their purpose, and it sucks that twd has once again decided to underdevelop and deprioritize characters of color and instead give 90% of 11a and 11b screentime to white characters and it sucks but thats the way theyve decided to move forward w the last season and wasted all their time on negan and maggie and the reapers. Reapers shouldnt have existed and if they rly had to it should have been handled like terminus. Max 4 episodes. Not like 10.

At this point anyone besides carol daryl lance the kids pamela aaron mercer and rosita honestly should at most just be grouped together as their own little ensemble characters and given like a handful of lines within the group bc they have all completed their arcs more or less and no longer serve a purpose and while yes maggie and negan have not completed their arc yet im sick of looking at them and they need to fuck off to manhattan and do whatever theyre doing there

[bookqueenrules]

How Gimple and Company have missed the mark on Daryl Dixson Season 1 and the ratings are showing it.

Let’s talk ratings first:

Disclaimer: Yes, streaming matters, but by comparing a show’s performance to other shows on the network, we can get an idea how the show is doing.

Dead City performed better in the demos and overall.  Now, of course, the season isn’t over, but DD is down week to week from episode 1 to episode 2 by 18% in the key demo!

Yes, DD is competing against Sunday night football, but Dead City aired during the summer slump when people tend to watch less T.V. DD is also airing at a time when little new programming is coming, and has been advertised extensively. DD should be doing better.

I believe the problem is obvious.  I did a post I submitted to twdmysterymusicbox linked here about why I thought it would be revealed, at least to audience, that Beth is alive in episode 3 of the spin-off. 

Everything I said stands except the fact that I gave too much credit to TPTB! 

It’s what they should have done!

Here is part of that post:

“Dead City was considered a success by most, but why did it do well?

Some wanted to see NYC zombies. Some wanted to see Maggie and Hershel. I would argue MOST wanted to see the development of the Negan/Maggie dynamic. How many would have watched just Maggie trying to get Herschel back?  Some, but it would not have had the same viewership, and the TWD fans actually care about Hershel as Maggie and Glenn’s son. 

So, why will people watch DD?

Some are looking forward to variant zombies, some want to see Daryl, but for how long will the average American TWD viewer tune in to see Daryl hanging out with new French characters with accents and subtitles to boot?  

Personally, I would enjoy it regardless, but I know many people that hate subtitles and won’t be particularly interested in how things went in France.  Sure, the scenery is beautiful, but it won’t hold the interest past a couple of episodes. The “cure” premise was JUST seen in The Last of Us.   TPTB should also have learned that the decline of the flagship was largely due to killing off “family” characters we cared about and bringing on lots of new characters that never became as important to the audience as the original characters of the first few seasons. Hopefully, TPTB learned this lesson. 

While I DO expect to see a Carol flashback in season 1, the show will need to bring something to the French story that will excite and surprise viewers. If MMB would have decided to be in season 1, it may have been a different story. The Daryl/Carol dynamic would have been there, and I would be predicting your typical “cliffhanger” style reveal towards the end of the first season.

That is why I think there will need to be SOME reconnection between Beth/Daryl in season 1 for the audience to care enough to tune in to Carol/Daryl finding her in season 2. 

So, I was wrong about what they were going to do, but I was right in WHY they should have done it!

Let me add here that bringing Carol alone will not improve ratings much. There STILL has to be connection to the TWDU and character development. We have seen the Carol and Daryl show the last few seasons of TWD and viewership declined. MOVE THE STORY.

Viewers want to see character development. They were watching to see what would happen between Maggie and Negan.

This “stand alone” DD show is not what viewers want.  There has to be connection to and movement in the original narrative viewers loved.

The stakes in this spin-off are almost ZERO. Judith and Carol are happy in the Commonwealth. Zeke is taking care of them both. 🙂There is no crisis only Daryl can solve back home. He is not in France searching for his long lost love Beth…..

There are no stakes in the French storyline either. Laurent has Isabelle and his new found parent to look after him. It’s not even imperative that Laurent make it to the “Nest” at a certain time.  We are not going to discover how the outbreak started, or why/if they are making varient zombies

Most importantly, Daryl’s happy ending is nowhere on the horizon. Why should people tune in? Dragging out this storyline and trying to milk the franchise even more is a disaster.  They can print as many articles saying people love the spin-off as they want, and I think those actually tuning in are enjoying it.  However, the numbers don’t lie.  The "must watch" interest is not there. 

Not enough people care enough to tune in.  I predict episodes 3 and 4 will have even lower ratings.

The SHIP baiting and dragging out of Daryl’s romantic storyline is not working. It’s been 12 years already! We have seen Beth set up and taken away, Leah as one episode non-romance, flirting with Connie, but NO actual romance for Daryl. Now, it’s obvious that Daryl/Isabelle is another bait.  The time for that is long past. Give the viewers a true romantic partner for Daryl.  In the apocalyptic world of TWD the environment and the trauma the characters face are enough of an obstacle.  Who will Daryl fall in love with?  The question must be answered for viewers to care.  This is the only way to develop his character any further. 

Thoughts?